This is the start of the first Winterland shows of '78, the first bay area shows of '78, and the first shows after Egypt. These shows featured a big-screen slide show of the African sojourn (kids, asks your grandparents why slide shows were once a social event). These were the shows that Francis Coppola attended, and then gave the drummers the Rhythm Devils sobriquet. It's also the 1st decent show after over 2mos of meh and tranwrecked shows - since 7/8/78 Red Rocks (a long stretch). It's also the start of the final Winterland run. The 1st 3-day run here was in '69, but this was the 2nd of only 2 five-day runs, the other being the farewell shows of Oct '74. I'm sure it was a relief after a couple months of iffy to stinker shows to be back on track (in particular on the 21st, the top show of the run).

First Set. After having just worked to finish the overdubs for the new album, that was tracked before going to Egypt, it's surprising that Promised Land is unremarkable; rusty even. Actually the next few are a bit clunky, but when they get to Miracle there's a turnaround and spark. Already the 5th one, but it's the Bay premiere AND the first good one. Quite entertaining. Still the early arrangement, but now happy to put it in rotation (played 4 nights of the 5). The same thing happens for Stagger Lee - mostly. It's the 4th one, has Bobby's Slide Practice™, and is played again the next night. The set has really warmed, 'cause it's a gobsmackingly ace Jack Straw. Jer: "Jack Straw? Huh? Jack Frost? Let there be no frost in Jack Straw!" And there was not!

Second Set. Jer blows the lyrics for Scarlet but the jam is okay. Fire is even better. Estimated is played better elsewhere in the run. Some have assumed a girl wanders onstage during Space and asks Jerry a question. Hate to burst bubbles but this is a recording sent to the monitors from the SBD. It does not happen on-mic, nor was it sent out on the PA [because it does not appear on the AUD]. Vernon says it's offstage but on-mic [you wouldn't have live mics backstage], but Jer is already onstage and playing - not talking to somebody (and security would not have allowed anyone to approach Jer for more than a second, as many of us saw happen). On the AUD you can hear the applause as members walk onstage. Clearly it was meant to tease/get a laugh from Bobby and Jer, or freak the punters (if so, why it went to the monitors but not the PA is a bit of a mystery. This was probably a mistake at the soundboard). On the recording, a woman says, "I know this is strange but I'd like to take banjo lessons". Jer replies, "I don't teach anymore". There follows a snippet of a recording of Bobby telling a joke: "So the warden says to the guy hey buddy you're under arrest. The guy says what for?". This is the old non-joke about fishing with dynamite, and typical of what Bobby found funny. Obviously Bobby wasn't telling somebody a joke while standing onstage. On the AUD you can hear the applause for the rest of the band coming onstage at the exact time of the Bobby joke. Also, one mic wouldn't capture two conversation snippets exactly in a row. It was edited and prepared. The tranny out of Space into If I Had the World to Give is wonderful. Of the latter, this is the second attempt of three (the first one also came out of Space, the final one did not). This is probably the best one - and it IS good. A fun outlier either way. Nobody would have heard this one yet, and this version makes you wish it had survived a bit longer (the final one, in Cleveland, morphs into a cool afterjam). Around has a few stumbles plus a trainwreck that Jer recovers, but U.S. Blues leaves 'em happy.

1st Set:  B-
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 3¼ stars

Highlights:
I Need a Miracle - Bay premiere is entertaining
Jack Straw - no frost on Jack!
If I Had the World to Give - the version you want

SOURCES: The miller_89257 has the full U.S. Blues and the patched Eyes [unlike the sirmick_138919]. It does run a bit slow in the first set, needing +1% pitch correction. There is one AUD. Road Trips v1 n4 has part of Space, If I Had the World, and Around & Around.

The If I Had the World to Give in this show SMOKES!

WHY OH WHY did they stop playing this tune after three tries???

Eyes also has a terrific rhythm. Not too sped up like many of the '78 versions.

This is that show where David Crosby played a mean slide guitar during the space segment. He and Jerry knew each other, apparently, and he did them a favor on this show by adding some stuff to the space segment. Real good, top notch, versions of everything, but even better because of David Crosby's help.

Girl: "I know this is strange, I'd like to take banjo lessons from you.?"
Garcia: "I don't teach anymore."
Girl: "what?"
Garcia: "I don't teach anymore."....

Nice show.
lots of hiss.

My friends and I attended these great shows at the Winterland Arena and when Around and Around was playing and Bobby sings "The front was lock, I said the place was packed," I was thinking about those sets of double doors in front of the arena and how cool that this place was packed and I was inside.

dumb cosmic comments aside, had a great time at these shows. Great board, great transfer, my only live world to give, I believe they did 3. Check out this entire run. '78 gets a bad rap.

Had this tape, played it from Athens GA to San Fran and back. The dead in this form can transport you back through space and time, going down the road feelin bad, throw in a boot and hear comes sunshine and you wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world!

jack straw turns it on and on

4 stars gotta save the 5's for that very just exactly right show, gotta love all them years, If I Had The World To Give, was how I got here tonite, do it.

I've dl about 300 sbd from this site and this is has excellent sound. WOW WOW, this is easily at least 4+ sound. It makes listening to the music that much better too. Jerry's voice is crisp, always a good thing.

From the opening comments of Phil Lesh about the outcome that night's World Series game: What a night! What a fabulous night! I was there and you could tell by his swagger on stage when he first came out Jerry was pumped and ready to play. He brings that randy "Wolf" tone from note one.

What we got was near perfection for a show. Every song an alltimer! Tennessee had me SCREAMING -- I tell ya. WOO-WHEE! Even FOTD was great with Jerry splashing out big outlays of fresh chords. Opens your spiritual nostrils so you can catch the holy fragrance. D'You dig? Miracle cuts you straight to the marrow! Jerry breathing his all, effortlessly, into it -- fanning the flames! Holy Moly! but they cut it short to tune up.

Out comes one splendidly precise reading of Stagger Lee. Sounds rehearsed...whattya know? They rehearsed! This song is utter perfection. Jerry's glissando chords, oh geez, just a gnat's breath late! Yes, I remember this night! Holy Night.

This show is one show in Egypt and one show in mirth. 1978 had a bad rap - not this night. Jack Straw just flat-out-raging rocks! Bobby is going crazy on stage with his furious fanning and spots Jerry over there about to bloom and just gets out of the way and lets Jerry cut loose as much as Jerry wants, and the result is positively mind-altering.

There are a few lyric flubs here and there in Scarlet>Fire but it didn't matter because we were all screaming/singing them aloud, all along. And doing that caused Jerry to wink at us and then just disintegrate us with his ray gun.

All of the other ones recognized it and just set back, got out of the way and let the man play, and play he did! He lets every moment loose -- gives it everything he's got. For what more can you ask, the Divine?

The slightly truncated end of the second verse transition tarnishes an almost flawless buildup on Estimated, but regardless, Jerry solos swiftly true it all. He's telling us he's sorry. He is publicly apologizing for himself. He's for giving and he's asking for giveness; opening our Eyes of understanding. He strains after every note netting butterfly. Holy, beautiful, perfect, Eyes. Everyone just gets out of the way and lets Jerry do his thing. They know it right away and know internally that this is Jerry's return from Egypt with a braid of garlic and leeks 'round his neck.

Watch out for the patch during Eyes. It's abrupt!

But, oh, heavenly newfound Eyes.

Then comes a long drums followed by space where in the first sector of it you can hear voices from backstage, or something, cross-frequencied in the mix - very weird. And the space becomes a spiral staircase winding down into the bowels of forgetta bout it.

World To Give....Jerry lays it out on the line all in one piece, says everything he's ever got to say and says it and says it and then just shuts up!
The effect is overwhelming. Now I'm up and dancing on a slow ballad!

After that the whole band goes completely nuts on Around and US Blues. Both are spectacular renditions. "Summertime done come and gone, my oh my" And the...

Yankees win! Yankees win!


Yankees win!